Reducing Stress Naturally – 5 Stress Relief Activities

Well, stress relief activities are probably the most discussed thing in terms of what is now considered to be modern day problems. We hear people all around the globe complaining about too much stress on the internet,TV, and in social circles.

Furthermore, there are tons of books, and other reading material out there, that desperately tries to find a solution to this problem of stress overload and not enough stress relief activities. Everywhere around us we have people affected by this global concern, and probably most of us have to fight it more or less too.

Now, it is quite difficult to live with high level of stress in our lives, but some of us simply do not seem to have a solution. It’s true, with our lives becoming more and more dynamic in nature, and with more obligations and deadlines than ever, we tend to surrender quite easily when it comes to stress overload.

But even though nowadays stress is so dominant in our modern society, particularly work related stress, I’m more than glad to tell you that there is a way to reduce it. To be precise, there are many ways to reduce stress levels, and by making changes to one’s lifestyle we can all have the upper hand on it.

It is evident now that many people have been paying close attention on how to solve this, and there are lot of so called “gurus” that have seen the chance to make a profit out of it, by selling “secrets” and “ancient crap” right into your inbox, or even in front of your door.

Yeah, we all know the kind. My inbox is overwhelmed with messages that try to sell me what I want to call “magic wands” and pills that claim to work over night.
But surely it’s not just my inbox. All of you exactly know what I’m talking about here. And the sad truth is that many of those “gurus” are somehow finding a way to people’s wallets.

But let’s not waste our time here talking about them. What I have today to say to you is something that I personally consider to be very useful when it comes to reducing stress with various stress relief activities. If you are the resourceful fellow, you probably know by now that there is not only one way to fight this, and not a single right action to take. Instead there is lots of stuff that can make your stress levels come to a point where it simply disappears.

Reducing stress is not that hard if you do it one step at a time, knowing that what you do is going to give results eventually.
How come? Well, there are many things to do or advices to follow, but eventually you will find what works for you the best. You will rule out some and accept others. But always try to make a certain approach, and after a while, if it didn’t work, try something else.

Five simple yet effective stress relief activities

It’s more than obvious that there are many more ways to achieve this, but this are the ways which I found to be very helpful, and something that I analyzed for quite a long time.

Stress relief activity 1: Be Organized

As strange as it may sound to you, this is actually linked to increasing or decreasing your stress levels. As for why, the answer is simple. Being organized, you never let anything take you by surprise. You also never, ever make quick, rushed and last minute decisions, the ones that make you more anxious and stressed at the first place. So being organized can really make you less stressed.

It’s best to organize yourself, or do a plan if you will, in the evening, and in weekends in general. This way it is easier when you start your day as well as your week. So keep that in mind. Waking up early can also help a lot, since you will never stay behind with the things happening in your life. Reducing stress is never considered as an effort if being organized is your approach.

Stress relief activity 2: Learn to relax

Relaxation in other words is quite the opposite of stress. So it is just fitting to say that learning how to relax can impact a great deal on your stress levels and your well-being in general.

Do something that leaves you with a smile, or anything you find enjoyable. Spent a little time on yourself. Breathe, and listen to some music. It is a known fact for centuries that music can be an effective stress relief activity, and leave your worries behind. Choose whatever music and style you find fitting.

Also try to enjoy a nice bath, another well known stress relief activity. It makes your whole body relax, and just by adding some eucalyptus drops for example you can make your body get rid of some toxins that it had in store. I mean, you get the picture, right? You can for sure find out a way how to relax. Yoga, watching a movie, reading some book, swimming, nice massage, doing some math (hey, I don’t judge you), it is all up to you.

Stress relief activity 3: Exercise as much as you can

This can play a crucial part indeed in your stress relief effort. But how exactly exercise act as a stress relief activity?
Well, it is a known fact that exercises make the body endocrine system release the hormone called endorphin, which can make you feel happier, and make you to be in a better mood in general.

While exercising it is also a fact that the adrenaline is higher, which in turn makes you feel more refreshed and awake. Also the blood vessels are wider, lung capacity therefore increased, and blood reaches the muscles easily. So with adrenaline you override your physical barriers and limitations as well.

However, maybe the best thing that you may achieve by exercising is lowering your cortisol levels. It is well known that the hormone cortisol is the one to blame for higher stress levels. So reducing it can help you a lot.

It is a magic circle if you will. But be warned, exercising more than enough can actually raise your cortisol levels. So just watch out about how much your body can take.

There are many other chemical processes that happen in your body during physical activity, but this two are the most significant when it comes to fighting stress on a chemical front, taking place inside your body. Start with some exercise, keep going, get a momentum, and you will literally see your stress levels decreasing to the point where you forgot you were stressed in the first place.

Stress relief activity 4: Eat your way out of worries

Even though this one is greatly debated in terms of whether or not it can achieve some success when it comes to reducing stress, many doctors try to incorporate it in their patient’s treatments as another effective stress relief activity. Foods that reduce stress… You’ve heard this right? Sounded weird then, it also sounds weird now. But knowing that this actually works, can make give a second thought on whether or not you should try this approach as well.

If you ask nutritionists they will probably tell you that not only it helps, but it plays a rather crucial part. So what is the science behind it? Well it is simple. There are some foods that make your body react a certain way, and there are studies which suggest that certain types of food are more or less likely to give you a “good mood injection” if you will.

Studies show that Mediterranean diet alongside with other positive effects also is quite helpful when it comes to reducing stress. This is simply based on the fact that it is rich with healthy fats and acids, and a lot of protein, minerals and vitamins. It is also best known for reducing high blood pressure which in fact can also come from stress.

Bottom line is – go for the healthy fats that are contained in some food sources (We mentioned the Mediterranean diet, but there are tons of others) and you will soon notice some results.

And for some that may think this is a ballyhoo approach, just let me tell you that changing the way of eating is sometimes even used as a stress relief activity in some severe cases of stress related conditions.

Stress relief activity 5: Meditate

I could have put this one in context of relaxation, but it is actually different in a way. The thing is that meditation allows your self-awareness to achieve another level, and in addition to that you become more and more conscious about everything that is happening to you, and you see things from a different perspective.

It allows you to become more peaceful, and in a way gives you more control over your subconsciousness. Used for thousands of years, it is a proven technique and well known stress relief activity that delivers results without a question.

I’m gonna lie to you if I tell you that it is easy to meditate and gain fast results, but in time you should feel more and more comfortable and the effects will come by themselves.

I know I said five ways to reduce stress, but talking about this I get carried away. So here is a little bonus…Always have time dedicated to what you want, or what you really enjoy doing. And this is not in the context of relaxation, but just to get the feeling that you are living in the moment. And this is maybe the most powerful weapon against stress and the number one stress relief activity.

Think about it, when is stress really happening? You always find yourself stressed about things that happened, or things that are about to happen, or not happened at all, it doesn’t matter. So living in the moment rules out stress when you think about that logically.

Therefore, you must always have time dedicated to things that can fully occupy your mind, things that require your undivided attention. It will latter turn into a habit to enjoy the moment, and by becoming your habit you will learn to rule out stress from your life.

It can be quite overwhelming to make such of a drastic change to one’s lifestyle, so this is what I personally recommend – go one thing at a time, and never hesitate or fear from failure, not even for a second. It’s natural for this to take you some time, it took you years to form the habit of worrying over things, so don’t expect that things will shift overnight.

But try following these tips and you will have a decent picture on how things are going to change for better. And the good part is that once any of this starts to work, even a tiny bit, you will feel the positive effects right away and really start to see how is like to forget about stress at all.

And in the end ask yourself what can you actually try to implement even today from these stress relief activities, and start with that. Just a little spoiler here – you will be amazed by the results.

Meditation and exercise are the two
best ways to reduce your stress levels. In today’s fast moving world we have
to run after each and every big or small thing. Taking out time for the above
mentioned activities will surely prove to be helpful.